Spiritually speaking, you are either born or unborn. The Spirit Himself sovereignly does this great work of total renewal. When our Lord used the word, He said to His disciples, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). (4) A mountain can be sanctified. The baptismal regeneration theory is not merely erroneous but dangerous, because it holds that baptized babies of believing parents are saved, and unbaptized babies who die as such, are lost forever. Although a clear distinction is not always maintained between regeneration and other experiences of the spiritual life, we may summarize our belief in the following theses: (1) Regeneration implies not merely an addition of certain gifts or graces, a strengthening of certain innate good qualities, but a radical change, which revolutionizes our whole being, contradicts and overcomes our old fallen nature, and places our spiritual center of gravity wholly outside of our own powers in the realm of God's causation. Here we see all three Persons in the Godhead active in Sanctification. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus (Romans 3:24-26) These verses are of tremendous importance because they show the only ground of justification. But I am insisting that there is a Positional Sanctification which was purchased by Christs atoning Blood and posited to the believer at conversion. The Blood of Christ and the grace of God compose the basis of justification and the principle upon which it is offered to man. There is a divine initiative Possible the latter term comes closest to the Greek word. He now can be introduced to the private chamber of the King of kings, even into the holiest of all. . (Genesis 2:3). In at least two Epistles, according to the Authorized Version, Christians are addressed as those who are called to be saints (Romans 1:7; I Corinthians 1:2). In the teaching of Jesus the need of regeneration has a prominent place, though nowhere are the reasons given. Conversion, consisting in repentance and faith in Christ, is therefore the human response to the offer of salvation which God makes. . The devils (demons) also believe, and tremble (James 2:19), but such mere belief cannot save one. WebWhen we receive God into us as our life and we are thus regenerated, that is a great washing. The washing of regeneration refers to being born again. He guides us through His Word. So if you have trusted Christ to save you, then you have been set apart once for all; you are Gods sanctified one. When Christ was on earth He performed many miracles. If there is going to be any disagreement among us, please let us disagree agreeably. Through natural birth they pass on to their offspring their own nature and likeness. (5) Regeneration, being a new birth, is the starting-point of spiritual growth. The will of God is all-important in the life of the child of God. Justification can be defined as that act of God whereby He declares absolutely righteous any and all who take shelter in the blood of Christ as their only hope for salvation. Regeneration is the implantation of a new life. Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105). In Pauls day, and later in the days of the Protestant Reformation, and in our own day, it would be difficult to find a truth more cardinal to our historic Christian faith than the doctrine of Justification. This portion of our study shall be given to the matter of the Christians responsibility in Sanctification, that piety and true holiness which deserve to be seen in the life of every saved person. Soon, however, great disasters, threatening to overthrow the national entity, and finally the captivity and dispersion which caused national functions to be almost, if not altogether, discontinued, assisted in the growth of a sense of individual or personal responsibility before God. As "God is love," the children of God will love (1John 5:2). For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:14). Scripture teaches that regeneration Scripture teaches that regeneration (the new birth) is an essential part of the redeeming work of God in Christ. They are the spiritual birthmarks of the born again ones. Usage: regeneration. Mans nature is depraved, so much so that God Himself makes no attempt to improve it to make it fit for His holy presence. This people have I formed for Myself; they shall shew forth My praise (Isaiah 43:21). To be born of water and of the Spirit is to be regenerated by means of the Word of God and by the active Agency of the Spirit of God. Beloved, let us not neglect our privilege--in and out. Shame on believers to have access to so much and possess so little! It blows where it pleases, and it is invisible, inscrutable, irresistible and inexplicable. God justified Abraham before Isaac was born (Genesis 15:6). That which is born of the flesh is flesh (John 3:6). Many of the students stressed the idea of purification from moral evil. Several weeks later, another pastoral call brought up the subject again. Our Reformed theologians have always warned against such representations, which are only the result of making man the starting-point in the contemplation of divine things. It is the function of the Bible to interpret experience, rather than the function of experience to interpret the Bible. We have already stated that it is erroneous to assume that one is born again at the time of his being baptized with water. Christians are now saints, already set apart, sanctified. Paul says it is a mystery, inscrutable and inexplicable. But let us never lose sight of the glorious fact that our Lord Jesus Christ, through His Death, is the sole ground of our justification. The provision for righteousness is solely through the blood of Christ. A healthy growth that leads to spiritual maturity necessitates time. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him. The best reformed person cannot measure up to Gods righteous standards. Perhaps some of you think that it is all too cheap and not worth bothering about. This aspect of Sanctification was in view in our Lords prayer, where He prayed, Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth (John 17:17). If you have not been sanctified, then you are not saved. Forgiveness cannot be effected, nor righteousness declared, until guilt has been established. But then he added, For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13). In further support of the water-Word interpretation of John 3:5, the Apostle Paul wrote how Christ sanctifies and cleanses His church with the washing of water by the word (Ephesians 5:26). they are life (John 6:63). The wind is an invisible and mysterious force; yet its effects are plainly evident. Indeed, only God can justify sinners. The Cross And Separation From The World (1 Peter 4:1-6), 7. Josephus (Ant., XI, iii, 9) speaks of the anaktesis kai paliggenesia tes patridos, "a new foundation and regeneration of the fatherland," after the return from the Babylonian captivity. As I study my own daily experiences as a child of God, and observe those with whom I associate in the Lords work, I have a deep conviction that this has been a neglected phase of Christian doctrine. The necessity of regeneration for all men grew out of the depravity of mans nature. . The Scripture does say that Simon himself believed (Acts 8:13); however, there is a belief which is followed by regeneration, and there is a belief which might not be followed by regeneration. However, our Lord said to Nicodemus, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God (John 3:5). Regeneration is Gods making a person spiritually alive, as a result of As the wind moves wherever it wills, the Spirit moves in whomever He wills. All Christian parents would bestow eternal life on their offspring if they could, but they cannot. We emphasize the phrase to declare his righteousness, for to justify means to declare righteous, the basis of which is the shed Blood of Jesus Christ. He must judge and condemn the guilty. The grace of God does not run in human veins. But the Law condemned them because they could not keep it. All efforts to recover his body were futile. The regenerated man is a new creation, the new meaning a difference in kind. These should be examined carefully because the new life needs to develop. It is Gods coming great society, the Theocracy in the earth. Follow . One serious danger is that of interpreting Practical Sanctification by someones personal experience. In the remainder of chapter 2, verses 17-29, the Apostle strips the Jew of every vestige of the cloak of self-righteousness, so that when we reach chapter 3, verse 19, Gods startling verdict is Guilty! Every mouth is stopped and all the world is accused before Him. In Titus 3:5 it denotes that change of heart elsewhere spoken of as a passing from death to life ( 1John 3:14 ); becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus ( 2Corinthians 5:17 ); being born again ( John 3:5 ); a renewal of the mind ( Romans 12:2 ); a resurrection from the dead ( Ephesians 2:6 ); a being quickened ( Ephesians 2:1 Ephesians 2:5 ). These items are neither moral nor immoral; they are amoral. WebRegeneration was the principal work of the Holy Spirit. Paul commences in verse 1 with the word therefore. This word definitely connects that which is to follow with that which has been said in previous chapters. The Holy Scriptures are both living and life-producing. This life can be received on the condition of faith in Christ or by coming to Him (John 14:6). Dr. Chafer said, Even if Sanctification were limited to the field of human experience, there would never be an experience that could be proven to be its perfect example, nor would any human statement of that experience exactly describe the full measure of the divine reality. The best thing God can do for man is to bring him to a knowledge of his sin so that he will realize his need of being regenerated. It is supposed that regeneration in this sense denotes the final stage of development of all creation, by which God's purposes regarding the same are fully realized, when "all things (are put) in subjection under his feet" (1Corinthians 15:27). Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ (I Peter 2:5). It is, however, quite evident that this latter conception has arisen rather late, from an analysis of the former meaning. God Himself is the Justifier. The Apostle Paul said, Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after . Somewhere I heard or read of a tragedy at sea in which a young fisherman was washed overboard and lost. Jeremiah puts the following words into the mouth of Ephraim: "Turn thou me, and I shall be turned" (Jeremiah 31:18). Remember, it is by Gods perfect standard of justification that we all will be tried. Our first parents were driven out from the garden; Cain was driven out from the presence of the Lord; Israel was kept afar off from the foot of Mount Sinai lest some of the people should approach it. Justification is more than forgiveness. We know that this statement from His lips had nothing to do with moral behavior because in Him is no sin (I John 3:5). For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication (I Thessalonians 4:3). Man has nothing to do with it except to receive it through faith, and that as the Holy Spirit enables him. View our current career opportunities.
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